The Perfect Storm
by TDCSI
Summary: Michael is beginning to get his life back, it starts with a storm but things from the past come forth and throw his world into a tailspin as things begin to colapse around him.
1. Chapter 1

Okay ya'll, I'm a big Burn Notice fan, it's become my crutch since CSI went to hell. So, I've decided to go overboard and write a story. Huge thanks to Amanda Hawthorn for her awesome beta skills and help. Her stories are amazing even though you think you're going to get a baby she'll shut that door on you and single you out for asking repeatedly for one. Anyways, hope ya'll enjoy my little story, it does go out on a limb a few times but just hang with me, it's gonna be a wild ride.

Oh, and I don't own Burn Notice or anything associated with it. Although I wish I did.

* * *

><p><span>The Perfect Storm<span>

Chapter 1

Thunder cracked and lightning streaked the sky. The wind howled rattling the windows and door. Rain pelted the roof making it almost impossible to hear. Earlier in the day the weather service informed Miami that hurricane Drake was going to miss hitting the city head on, but they would get the wind and rain with high winds from the edges of the massive storm.

Michael lay in his bed; his eyes wide open as the loft was constantly illuminated by the lightning. Things were starting to go his way as the list of people who burned him were outed and taken down by the CIA. He still had questions he knew there would be no answer to, but his brain wouldn't turn them off. Fiona had told him repeatedly to just let his past go, but it wasn't in his nature.

After his mom helped them find the Asian girls being held captive, he was having a hard time shaking their scuffle when she had practically told him he was like his father. The comment had nearly knocked him off of his feet as she told him something he had vowed to never become.

Suddenly a loud groan echoed through the loft. It was a sound Michael had never heard before and he was quickly out of bed and scrambling towards the door. The entire building creaked and just as he grabbed the handle the floor shifted.

The once sturdy older building was giving way to the force of the wind and was quickly collapsing. Michael managed to get the door open only to have the strong wind blow his body back into the crumbling building. He regained his footing and headed for the small balcony.

The rain stung his bare torso as he tried desperately to see. Power flashes were all he could get a glimpse of as he glanced around. His balcony that once hung over the concrete entry of the club was now moving towards the water way. Michael climbed up and stood on the railing and just when the loud snap of the main support beams broke under the shifting weight of the structure.

With his heart racing, Michael inhaled deeply and jumped out as far away from the building as he could. His body hit the water as the club and his home fell partially into the water as it collapsed. He surfaced to see the building leveled. The water in the channel was rough as the wind and rain constantly slapped waves of water in his face.

The amount of rainfall along with the wind caused the current to drag him along and Michael found himself at its mercy as he attempted to swim back to land. The darkness did nothing but make his task even more difficult as he eventually made it to small dock. Michael pulled himself onto the small wooden platform he looked around for any type of shelter.

The storm had knocked out all of the power and his only light source was the frequent lighting as his eyes scanned the surroundings. As he stood, he found it difficult to remain standing with the force of the wind. Michael tried to stay low as he moved up towards an older brick building that appeared to be abandoned. He had no idea how far the current had taken him from the loft but at the moment he just wanted out of the storms assault.

Michael found a broken window and managed to climb inside. Surprisingly there was light in the structure, but it wasn't from an electrical source. Several homeless people had also sought the building for refuge and at the intruder coming through the window several had stood and was on high alert to the stranger.

Wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms, Michael seemed to fit in with the small crowd. Without a word he just waved, indicating to them that he wasn't a threat. He carefully went to a far corner and sat down on a dry patch of concrete. His eyes kept watch on the other inhabitants of the building. Once they had determined that he wasn't a threat, one person approached him with a blanket.

It was a young girl maybe fifteen, he determined. She was silent as she slowly extended the blanket to him. Michael moved equally slow and grabbed the offering. "Thank you." The girl smiled and returned to the small group. Michael pulled the blanket over his cold and wet body. The small group added some more scrap wood to their fire barrel before taking another glance at him.

Michael hoped the storm would soon pass and the sun would rise and he could return to what was left of his home. He tried to get as comfortable as possible as the storm raged on.

Even as morning came, the hurricane was still pounding away. Madeline was sitting in her house with her neighbor playing cards to pass the time. The majority of the storm had passed but it was still raining. She internally worried about Michael and his friends and how they had weathered the storm.

The back door opened and Fiona and Sam entered the home without knocking. Madeline glanced at the two and grinned. "Well, I see you two made it through just fine."

Sam opened the fridge and grabbed a cool beer. "Is Mikey here?"

Madeline let the sudden worry cross her face. "I assumed he was with one of you."

Fiona shook her head. "We were hoping he was here. What little reports we can get is that there's a lot of structural damage around the loft." She noticed the reaction from Michael's mother and turned to Sam. "We've got to get to the loft."

Sam nodded his agreement and they rushed off. Fiona began to let her concern surface as they slowly made their way across town towards Michael's loft. "Fi, you've got to calm down, you're making me nervous."

They hit several road blocks along the way, downed power lines, trees, one time they were blocked by a roof off of a house. Eventually they made it within a block of the loft and decided to walk the remainder of the distance. As they closed the distance Fiona froze in her tracks. The usual sight she was used to was now gone. Her mouth fell open as she took in the destruction.

Sam brushed past her bringing her back to reality and they both ran the short distance to the ruble. The metal wall and doors to the loft were toppled over so they only had to walk over the metal. "Oh man." Sam said as they sighted Michael's Charger.

Part of the roof peeled off and had crushed the black car. The small bench that had once stood outside was nowhere to be seen. They both carefully made their way past the car and towards the building. It appeared that part of the loft was intact while the kitchen side collapsed and submerged into the channel. The club below it was completely caved in making the loft sit at ground level.

Fiona and Sam managed to find a missing section of wall to gain entry. "Michael?" She screamed out

"Mikey!" Sam also yelled. They were both in shock at the devastation. Carefully they moved around what remained of the loft looking for Michael. "He's not here."

"The Charger's outside Sam, he's here somewhere." Fiona shot back.

She climbed over the rubble in a desperate search for Michael. Sam began collecting any firearm that he noticed as he moved through the broken building. Fiona also began picking up other items that she knew the authorities didn't need to find. After an hour of looking Sam had her convinced that Michael wasn't in the building. That and when groans coming from the walls began getting louder they both decided it was time to leave.

Once outside Fiona and Sam watched as the rest of the building fell flat. She couldn't watch and turned her head while Sam waited until the dust settled. "Okay, well Michael obviously go out before the building fell, it's just a matter of finding out where he went."

The sudden stillness woke Michael with a jolt. He didn't plan on falling asleep, but somehow his exhausted body didn't care that he was lying on concrete. His eyes scanned the structure and noticed the other inhabitants had already left. With a groan he stood up and went back out the hole he had entered.

The sun shined brightly and Michael was able to see all of the destruction. Many buildings were missing roofs and signs. He figured that he was a good mile from his loft and being barefoot opted to swim up the now calm channel. He entered the water from the twisted dock and began his swim. The water was cooler than he remembered but this was the fastest route he could think of.

After Fiona and Sam stowed away the weapons and other pyrotechnics they could find Fiona walked back towards the battered Charger. Sam leaned against the hood of his Cadillac and patiently waited for Fiona to decide they needed to leave. While he was looking at the former building something caught his eye coming out of the water. A figure that was very familiar. "Mikey!"

Fiona turned to Sam and then to where he was looking. Her eyes locked onto the wet form of her lover. "Michael!" She raced towards him as he got his feet firmly on the ground. Her arms wrapped around his body as if he'd been gone for years. "We were so worried, how'd you get out, what happened?"

Sam was next to his friend in no time. "Mikey, damn you look horrible."

Michael had his arms wrapped around Fiona and he wasn't about to let her go at the moment. "Thanks Sam." He huffed out of breath from his swim. Fiona remained attached to him as he started walking towards what was left of his home. "I knew it was moving, but I didn't think it was completely leveled."

"It fell in about thirty minutes ago. Your car's under the wall." Fiona told him.

"How bad is it?" He inquired.

Sam sighed. "Well, it may be a total loss buddy. As for your place, we retrieved some weapons and other items before it fell in."

Michael nodded. "I'm hungry and nearly naked; can we get out of here?"

They loaded up in Sam's car and headed back to his mother's place.

* * *

><p>What a wild ride for chapter 1. Leave me reviews and I'll be encouraged to continue although I have yet to leave a story unfinished.<p>

TDCSI


	2. Chapter 2

Hokay, so…here is an update, it should answer questions some had after the first chapter. I hope y'all enjoy it and don't forget to review. Mega huge thanks to Amanda Hawthorn as she did some editing and encouraged me to post this story. Thanks woman.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

When Michael arrived at his mother's house, he was bombarded by her as she expressed how relieved she was that he was alright. He excused himself to take a shower while Sam and Fiona unloaded Sam's car.

While in the shower Michael just stood under the warm spray and let it massage his aching muscles. He couldn't believe what little possessions he'd had were now all gone. His eyes closed as the sprays ran over his brow and down his face. In a short period of time the water cooled from lack of a working water heater and it was then he decided to get out. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked to his childhood room that was still designated as his.

Fiona was going through the dresser trying to find a suitable outfit for Michael when he entered. "Well, so much for appropriate attire." She held a pair of jeans and a polo shirt in her hands as she went to sit down on the bed.

Michael sighed and approached her. "I didn't keep any suits here if that's what you are talking about."

She shrugged. "Well, I guess this will have to do until we can get you something more appropriate." Fiona stood and wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands instinctively went to her waist. "I know you don't have anything at my place, and since I was in the process of moving into the loft with you, some of my things were also destroyed."

"I guess we are going to have to find somewhere else to live." He grinned as she looked somewhat shocked. "I still want you to live with me Fi." Michael leaned down and kissed her, letting her know he was still committed to living with her.

Fiona smiled. "Well, at the moment, there are not many options for anything that's not damaged."

"But, if someone is fed up with the storms and wants to leave, we could buy a house with some damage and remodel it 'our' way." His grin was unmistakable and it was her turn to initiate a kiss.

After Michael was dressed he returned to the kitchen to see Sam and his mother going through the fridge. "All we have is some left over potato salad and lunch meat. The rest of it is going to go bad." She spoke as a cigarette dangled from her lips. "I hope they get the power back on sometime today."

They ate a quick lunch before Michael, Sam, and Fiona headed over to her place. Sam dropped them off so he could return to Elsa's house. Michael noticed that her small home had only damage to the trees and surrounding shrubbery. Fiona entered followed by Michael, and he then noticed how much stuff she had.

Multiple boxes were stacked in the living room in her preparations to move in with Michael. As he followed her to the small bedroom he noticed all of her decorations were missing from the walls and shelves.

"Well, I've packed most of my stuff already, but at least we'll have a bed and bathroom. Just no bedding since it's already in boxes." She grinned at Michael as she sat down on the bed.

That week power was restored to most of south Miami and Michael was about to go nuts looking at several different homes a day. Fiona seemed to be the only one interested in really looking as Michael would mention the loft from time to time. One day she had had enough.

"Look Michael, I'm not entirely sure you're ready to get a new place together, so when you're ready give me a call." She stormed out of the small white house leaving the relator in shock at her outburst.

"Fi…" He began following her. "I'm sorry Fi, look I…" he tried to find the words. "I'm trying the best I can, I'm just distracted. Whatever you are happy with I'm happy with."

"That's not how this works Michael." She climbed into her car and sped off leaving him on foot.

Michael groaned in frustration and pulled out his cell phone. "Yeah, Sam, look…umm, can you come pick me up?"

Once his friend arrived, Michael asked to be taken back to his wrecked home. Sam had other things to attend to and so he left his friend in peace. Michael was able to salvage some of his clothes, although they would need to be washed, and he managed to find a lockbox he had stashed away in the wall. Of course when the wall fell apart, the box was freed allowing its owner to find it easily. Michael opened the small safe and began counting the money he had stashed over the years from their jobs. He was determined to show Fiona that he wanted her in his life and this money was going to show her he was for real.

After a few hours of rummaging through the remains of his home, Michael made some phone calls. One was to a wrecker company to get the Charger out from its current grave, and then he phoned Sam to pick him up and return him to his mother's house. Once there, Michael began to put his plan into motion.

"Mom, I need to borrow your car."

Madeline lit up a cigarette and glanced at her son. "What's wrong with your car?"

"Uh…it's under a pile of rubble that used to be the loft." He stated the obvious. "Look, I asked Fi to move in with me last week." He received a bright smile from his mom. "She has everything packed up but now I don't have a place, and she wants out of her condo. We went looking at a few homes but I guess I wasn't 'involved' enough so she's not talking to me now."

His mother blew a large puff of smoke to the side. "Well I don't know what it looks like after the storm, but Laura's son has taken a new job in New York and wants to sell his house, maybe even rent it." She grabbed a piece of paper and scrawled down the address. "I'm sure it could use a woman's touch."

Michael took the paper. "Thanks ma." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before heading towards the door.

"Michael…" She waited until he was looking at her. "For what it's worth, I really like Fiona. You two belong together." She received a smile in return before her son disappeared once again.

He followed the road the address was on. Michael knew there was a canal at the end as he continued to look for the house. Unsure he was on the right side of the canal, he continued to drive until the road reached the end. He double checked the address his mother scrawled down as he stopped and couldn't have been more impressed. It was the house on the end right next to the waterway.

Michael pulled into the driveway and approached the home. As with the other homes in the neighborhood, the only damage sustained was downed tree limbs. He had received a text from his mom that informed him where there was a hidden key, and how much the owner was asking if he was planning on buying or even renting. Michael would be more than willing to rent the house under their current circumstances as he located the key. He walked around to the back door and slid the key in the lock. Before entering, he took in the foliage that provided a natural cover from any nosy neighbors. He eyed the in-ground hot tub which he knew Fiona would enjoy.

He entered the house and began to look around. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a study, decent sized kitchen and living room, but what he was really impressed with was the attached two car garage. It was larger than most which in his case was good since they would need extra room to work. While looking around Michael noticed what looked like a large pantry next to the kitchen, but since neither of them really cooked, it could serve for other purposes. The walls were dark in color, insinuating the classic bachelor pad. He figured Fiona would want to brighten the place up with new paint and other items.

After giving himself the tour he decided to text Fiona and hope she would meet him at his mother's as he'd asked. On his return trip, Michael spoke with the owner and they made a deal on renting the house for now with the option to buy. He now only hoped Fiona would like it.

She was waiting for him when he pulled up and she didn't look happy. "I've been waiting on you."

"I know, I'm sorry but I have a surprise for you." He stood in front of her almost afraid to touch her in her agitated state. "I've found us a place. It's right next to a canal, private back yard, hot tub, large garage, and plenty of hiding spaces for other things." He waited for her response then added. "It's got three bedrooms, in case we have company, and it's not far from where you like to shop." Michael was hoping that would be her selling point.

Fiona hid her anticipation well. "Okay, I'll bite." She responded with no emotion.

He let her drive to the house and as he hoped she was thoroughly impressed with the property. "We can move in anytime." He added. "I know it may need some paint, but other than that what do you think?" He seemed to hold his breath as he waited for her reaction.

She was more than happy that for once he had taken the initiative and did something for them. "Michael, I love it." Fiona gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Now, where to store my C-4?" She walked through the house again as Michael rolled his eyes.

Fiona made a list of things they would need to do and when they left, their first stop was a Home Depot. Michael pretended to help pick out several color choices of paint, and while the paint expert was mixing her colors, they ventured off to another section of the store.

After several hours Fiona had everything picked out and arranged for the items to be delivered. The cashier rang all of their purchases up. "Okay, your total is $845.65."

Fiona stood smiling at the older lady without a glance to Michael. "Thank you, he'll take care of that." She began pushing the cart towards the exit leaving Michael to pay.

He gritted his teeth and pulled out the wad of cash in his pocket. His nimble fingers counted out $850 and handed it to the cashier. "New home decorating." He stated as the lady gawked at the amount of cash he was carrying.

Michael caught up to Fiona as she pushed the cart full of paint and supplies to her car. She opened the trunk and his eyes widened. "Fi, I thought we had talked about this?" A small arsenal greeted him as he began putting the paint in the trunk.

She shrugged. "You were gone for a while, and a girl's got to supplement her income somehow."

"Fi, running guns isn't supplementing." He warned. "Please don't do this."

"I have one sale lined up in a few days and that's all I have for the moment." She closed the trunk when he finished.

They headed back towards their new home to unload the paint before returning to Madeline's home for the night. As always they entered the back door without knocking and as Fiona went straight to his room to shower, Michael noticed his mother sitting in the living room surrounded by her usual cloud of smoke.

"Ma?" He sat next to her and tried to pretend the smoke didn't bother him.

She was holding a card and photo. "I'm a grandmother." Her voice caught as she handed Michael the picture. "You're an uncle."

Michael took the photo and looked at the small boy wrapped in a blue blanket, his name and measurements printed on the bottom. "Charlie." He glanced back at his mother and handed the picture back. "He's a good looking boy. I'm sure Nate's proud."

"He is." She extinguished her cigarette and reached for another. "I know life was hard for you boys, but it's so nice to finally see you two settling down and planning families."

He was quick to kill the idea in his mom's head. "Fiona and I are just going to live together ma, I don't think kids are anywhere in the future."

Madeline blew a lung full of smoke into the air. "You don't have to have kids to have a family Michael. Seeing you and Fiona finally show your feelings for each other is a major step. But kids, yeah one can hope, but in your case, I'm not holding my breath." She inhaled on her cigarette again.

Michael stood. "Goodnight mom." He went to his room and headed for the shower.

Fiona was still rinsing the conditioner out of her hair when she heard him enter. She could make out the outline of his body through the curtain and it was obvious he was stripping down to join her. Michael entered the shower as she finished rinsing her hair. "Have a nice chat with your mom?"

"I guess. Nate sent her a picture of her new grandson." He reached under the water to test the temperature. "She of course brought us into the whole 'family' discussion."

She almost laughed. "Yeah, I don't think kids are a great idea in our line of work. I mean, can you picture what would happen if they found my C-4?" Michael's eyes grew as he froze in place, locking his eyes on the wall. "I couldn't imagine the stuff they would blow up."

"Fi…" Unsure of what to say he fended her stare off with, "Never mind."

She wrapped her arms around him as he wet his hair. "I don't know about babies, but I don't mind the act of making them as long as I don't forget my birth control."

Michael ran his hands through his hair, squeezing out the excess water before leaning down to kiss her. He wasn't about to deny her what she enjoyed.

* * *

><p>Well, did it suffice? Review and let me know.<p>

TDCSI


	3. Chapter 3

So, I've been slacking a bit here…please forgive me but at the moment I'm working double duty for some fast cash. And no it's not dealing drugs or anything illegal. Here's the next chapter, and of course I need to thank my bff Amanda Hawthorn for the beta work. She's the bomb yo!

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

Fiona was excited to start her day as she drove towards her new home. Michael had gone to check on the prognosis of his car and Fiona decided to get started painting.

She had arranged paint by room and since they were having new carpet installed she opted to forgo the plastic over the floor. The only room Fiona had decided not to paint was the kitchen as it suited her just fine as is.

By the time Michael arrived she had finished with two of the bedrooms. "Well, I was beginning to think you were out drinking mojitos."

Michael only smiled. "Well, I do need a drink after seeing my car." Fiona stopped painting and waited for him to continue. "It's a total loss. The frame was damaged, and the body is beyond repairable. He said the only thing salvageable was the motor."

His stare was blank as he seemed to look off into space. Fiona approached him. "I know how much you loved that car. I'm not sure if it was because it was your father's or something else."

He shook his head. "Working on that car was the only time I had with my dad when he wasn't slapping me around." Michael's eyes locked onto Fiona's. "I guess it held some sentimental value, it was the only thing we had in common. But like my mom said to me a while back, we need to put the past behind us."

Fiona leaned into him. "So do we need to go car shopping too?"

Michael was about to respond when his phone rang. Fiona stood straight and watched him as he checked the caller ID. "Umm…it's Max."

"Of course it is." She turned on her heel and left to continue her painting.

She made it clear to him that there were some things she didn't approve of, but that she understood. Fiona knew he was trying and she appreciated the fact that since his six month bout in Washington or wherever he went, he'd been doing ops in Miami so he could stay close. She knew eventually he would officially get his clearances back and the job would envelope him once again, and she would be alone. At least she had made a life here; she had Sam, Jesse, and Madeline which was more than she had when she left Ireland.

Michael entered the room she was currently painting and cleared his throat pulling her from her thoughts. She could only look at him. "I need to go."

"I know." She turned to continue painting.

"Fi…" He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I shouldn't be too long." He kissed her cheek and left.

Fiona swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. He made it sound like he was running to the store for milk and would come right back but she knew better. She fought back the tears that threatened to fall and just decided to turn on her radio and keep working.

Michael went to the hotel room Max had instructed to meet at. As always he kept a close eye on his surroundings as he walked down the hall towards the room. He knocked twice and Max opened the door.

"Hey, just in time." Max invited him in and walked over to a table that was covered in files and photos. "How's your Russian?"

Michael approached the table and knew that he wasn't going to return to Fiona anytime soon.

That night Fiona returned to Madeline's without Michael. "Where's Michael?"

Fiona sighed and cursed his mother for being so damn observant. "Max called him. So I honestly don't have a clue as to where he is or when he'll be back." She half smiled as Madeline blew a puff of smoke. "I'm letting the paint fumes settle, and I'll be out of your hair by tomorrow." She turned to head back to Michael's bedroom.

"Fiona." Madeline's words stopped her in her tracks. "You're family; you can stay here as long as you need."

Her words seemed to help Fiona calm down inside as she worried about Michael. "Thanks. See you in the morning."

The next day Fiona began moving things into the kitchen, and since Jesse had the day off and Sam's lady friend was out of town, she figured she could bribe them with alcohol. They hauled in the heavy boxes and Fiona sorted through them and put the items where they belonged. Sam started building the shelves and false wall in the pantry. He praised Fiona for the idea and began the construction on it. Jesse started in the garage building work benches. By the end of the day they were all sitting on the back patio enjoying cold beers.

Both Sam and Jesse knew that Michael was called away and didn't bring it up in Fiona's presence. They just talked and Jesse remembered about a client that had asked him for some help with a stalker. Fiona knew it wasn't going to be a gig where she could use her skills to their full extent, but she hated men that just couldn't take no for an answer.

The next day they met with Melissa, the client. A man she had met online and had gone out with three times wasn't taking 'it's not gonna work out' as an answer. Fiona and Sam followed him to where he worked and sat outside to observe.

"So, our guy works as a car dealer, typical don't take no as an answer kinda guy." Sam commented.

Fiona watched as the man in question came out to a few lookers. "He just looks creepy. I can't believe she even offered to meet him in person."

Sam chuckled. "Well, maybe it was his high school picture he had posted."

After a few hours of watching, a Cadillac Escalade pulled into the lot and the stalker ran from inside, shared a few words with the driver and handed an envelope to the person in the vehicle. Curious as to what he may be involved in, Sam and Fiona decided to follow the Escalade.

Their pursuit took them to Little Havana and Sam decided to put a stop to following the truck. "Okay Fi, this is serious stuff. If Joe Blow back there is in bed with the Cuban cartel, then we may have a big fish to fry here." He expressed his concern as she turned the corner.

"Yeah, but what would he be doing?"

"My guess, running drugs. Car salesmen always have a new demo to drive, so the cops would have a hard time seeing a pattern of the same car picking up mysterious packages." Sam offered his opinion.

Fiona thought for a moment. "I think I've just figured out a way to solve Melissa's little man problem."

That evening Jesse and Sam helped Fiona finish moving furniture and larger objects into her and Michael's new home. They stored the explosives and guns behind the false wall in the pantry, and set up the tools needed in the garage. They all discussed what their plan would be for tomorrow to let the Cubans take care of the stalker for them.

Once she was alone, Fiona took a shower and then lay in her bed on top of the plush comforter. It was difficult not sleeping with Michael next to her since they started their long dating trial a year ago. She sighed and opened her current novel and eventually fell asleep.

It was amazing how fast the government could fly someone half way around the world when it involved something that they wanted. Michael stood outside of Omsk airport and waited for transportation to take him to his meeting place. He was supposed to receive information from a worker in one of the industrial factories about what they have really been working on instead of what the Russian government was disclosing to the rest of the world. While he was waiting his thoughts drifted back to Fiona. He couldn't seem to get her out of his mind and while he knew it was a distraction to the job, he couldn't stop.

Once he got a ride and met with the contact, the only thing he got that was valuable was that the government was using the factory to make weapons grade plutonium. Nothing like he was expecting, so he took the information and headed back towards the states.

After several long flights to various destinations, Michael arrived back in DC to give Max the information he had learned. Once he turned over the info, Max pulled him aside. "Hey, I've got to ask you a question. Has your girlfriend been doing any illegal activities?"

The question took Michael by surprise. He remembered the guns in the back of her car, but believed her when she said it was a onetime gig. "No, but you know what she does as a side gig, so why all of a sudden the concern?"

Max shrugged. "There's a Cuban and Columbian cartel set up in south Miami near Little Havana, the feds have been sitting on them for quite a while trying to figure out who's running the show. And today this came through the wire." He handed the picture to his friend. "Look, I'm sure it's not her doing the drug running, but this picture doesn't exactly look innocent either."

Michael sighed and handed that picture back. "I'm sure there's a good reason."

"This is exactly why you're headed home right now. Get this straightened out."

Even with a nonstop flight, Michael was stewing on what Fiona was doing at the moment the picture was taken. Every part of him knew that she had to be working on a case and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He took a cab home which he had drop him off several houses from his new home with Fiona.

His eyes scanned the darkened street and sure enough there was an unmarked silver sedan sitting on the house. Michael groaned and decided to sneak in through the back. The foliage cover was welcome as he entered the back yard. Slowly Michael moved across the yard and entered the garage first. He sighed as he saw the black Camaro Fiona was driving in the picture. The clicking of a hammer being pulled back made him freeze in his tracks. He figured she had installed some sort of silent alarm system in the yard. "Fi." He whispered and the gun clicked again as it was disengaged. Michael turned around in the darkened garage to face her. "Do you want to tell me what this is?"

"It's a car Michael." She turned on her heels and walked back into the house.

"Yeah, I can see that. How about explaining why a photo of you in that car winds up on Max's desk and he proceeds to tell me that you're a suspect in drug running?" His voice elevated and his frustration came though.

Fiona turned the lights on in the kitchen and blew a strand of hair away from her face. "Look, Jesse had a friend at work that was having some man issues. We just made it look like he had set up having the car jacked while pocketing the drugs. No biggie."

"No biggie, Fiona there's a car sitting on the house. Do you have any idea the kind of havoc you're creating for me?" His words came out easily and it wasn't until he saw the look of shock on her face that he realized he'd said the wrong thing.

Her eyes grew and she didn't try to hide her anger. "You mean I'm interfering with your little government conspiracy work! Well I'm sorry Michael, but we are still trying to get by around here while you're playing Washington chess. If you gave just one shred of shit about what we have together then maybe you would see it from a different perspective and not be so quick to pull the trigger on lecturing me about what I can and can't do."

She stormed around him and headed back to the garage. Michael was left standing in the kitchen in shock as the Camaro roared to life and Fiona left in a cloud of burning rubber.

* * *

><p>Well here comes my angst…hehehe. It's what I live for a good fight. Don't worry it might work out between them.<p>

TDCSI


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, yet another lil update here. Nothing huge happening right now, although I did stay up until 4:30am catching up on a story, I was like over 50 chapters behind, but I'm good now. So, another thanks to Amanda Hawthorn for the beta. Crazy awesome this one.

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Fiona wasn't paying attention to her surroundings as she drove to get her frustration out. Sometimes Michael could be so stubborn and blind as to what they had together. She sped south towards the bay and turned up the radio to clear her head.

At that moment she didn't have a care in the world until red and blue lights appeared behind her. Fiona swore as she glanced at the speedometer, she was doing twenty over. With a grin she pushed the accelerator down and began to pull away from the cop. She knew outrunning him wasn't an option so she began to turn down some side streets in an attempt to lose the officer and hide the car.

Things were going her way until she pulled down a narrow alley. Her hopes of escape were now shattered as two more patrol cars pulled up to block her freedom. Swearing Fiona stopped the car and seeing their weapons drawn wisely put her hands in the air out the window.

One of the officers approached her from the rear and opened the door. "Get on the ground!" He instructed and Fiona obliged.

She knew they were not happy with the wild goose chase she had just led them on so she found it better to just stay silent and go with the flow. As she was cuffed and patted down, the officer continued to ask her questions to which she refused to respond. They read her her Miranda rights and placed her in the back of a police car. Once again Fiona was cussing Michael.

After Fiona's sudden departure, Michael called Sam and informed him of what happened. Sam thought it would be better to explain in person. He entered through the back door and greeted his friend. Michael was spooning yogurt into his mouth and didn't respond to Sam's greeting.

Sam sat on a stool and could still feel the tension in the house. "Uh, okay, well, Jesse had this friend that was having some…"

"Man issues, yeah Fi told me that much. What I want to know is how did this photo come across Max's desk as being under FBI surveillance?" Michael kept his anger in check as he slid the picture across the counter.

After analyzing the picture Sam explained. "Well, the creep is in with the Cubans down in Little Havana, running drugs we think. So Fi came up with a plan of hijacking his car as he was heading down to deliver the drugs. And I have no idea how the feds are involved in this."

Michael set his now empty yogurt on the counter. "Well, according to Max, the feds have watching this group for some time now. And I guess Fi's little stunt set off all kinds of alarms." He threw away the empty container and put his spoon in the sink. "So, what did you guys do with the drugs?"

Sam grinned. "Come here, you're gonna love this." Confused Michael followed Sam as he opened the pantry. "It's in here."

He looked around and only saw some dry good items. "In here where?" Sam reached out and behind a box of dehydrated potatoes was a small latch. He pulled the entire back to the pantry open. Michael was stunned as an array of weapons and explosives greeted him. "I'm guessing this was Fiona's idea?"

"Yeah, pretty cool huh?" Sam walked in and tossed Michael a black duffle bag. "That's what was in the car."

The bag unzipped easily and Michael inspected the items. "This is some pretty heavy stuff Sam."

"I know, which is why we decided to stash it here until we can get it planted at that creeps house." Sam took the bag back and secured it once again behind the false wall. He rejoined his friend in the kitchen. "So, what happened between you and Fi?"

Michael sighed and slid Sam a beer before opening his own. "I got the picture from Max and was told to get Fiona's act cleaned up or I may never get my job back officially."

"Ouch."

He agreed with a swing from the bottle. "So, I came home and found the car. I didn't give her a reason to explain, and may have mentioned how she was going to screw up my chances of getting my job back."

Sam's eyes widened. "And you still alive?" He snickered. "Damn, so where did Fi go?"

Michael shrugged. "She got into the car you guys stole and took off. I don't know where she went."

After a few more beers Sam's phone rang. He didn't recognize the number so he cautiously answered it. "Hello…Fi thank God. Where are you?" Michael was now intent on trying to hear the conversation but Sam tried to keep the phone close to his ear. "Okay, okay, yeah, got it. I'll be there in a flash." He hung up.

"What? Where is she? Is she okay?" Michael rattled off the questions.

"Slow down buddy, she got busted."

"She's in jail?"

Sam put up his hands in hopes of calming his friend. "She just said to tell you that she won't be coming home tonight, they just have her for speeding and evading an officer."

"Oh my God." Michael ran his hands through his hair and began pacing. He picked up his phone and called Max. "Hey, I got the story on that picture. How'd you like to hand over some good incrementing evidence to the feds?"

Fiona sat in the dirty, cold cell alone. She was somewhat grateful that being the only female in jail at the moment she didn't have a cell mate. Her eyes scanned the surrounding cells and she observed the variety of men being held. Several were drunk and sleeping it off, some of them seemed to have gotten a hold of some really good stuff. One guy looked like he'd just beat the crap out of somebody and got blood on his shirt, but took several to his own face before he wound up in police custody. Another across from her was beyond stoned and was drawing imaginary pictures on the wall and having a conversation with himself.

She sighed and hoped this would all be over soon, but as the hours past, an ending didn't seem in sight. Fiona tried anything to pass the time. She counted every person in holding, cracks in the floor, the number of bars surrounding her, and almost resorted to the number of groans made by the ones passed out. But soon a man in a dark suit approached her cell and opened the door.

"Miss Glenanne, why don't you come with me?" His voice was low and demanding. Fiona stood and seeing no other choice in the matter was escorted by the man to an interrogation room. "Sit." He practically forced her into the chair before leaving.

Fiona showed no emotion and especially hid her concern very well. She didn't flinch when the door opened. After witnessing many interrogations, she knew the best option was to remain as calm as possible, until Michael sat down in front of her. Her first instinct was to narrow her eyes at him, as she considered going across to table for his throat.

"Fiona, I'm going to ask you several questions. There's no one watching but Max and an FBI agent." She opened her mouth to speak but he quickly stopped her. "All you need to do is answer the questions honestly and this will all be over." He looked deep into her eyes pleading with her to work with him. She nodded. "Good. Now, are you involved directly with the Cuban drug cartel, or a working with a man name Mark Brower?"

She took an easy breath and simply answered, "No."

"What was the reason for taking Mark's car?" Michael knew the answer and hoped that she wouldn't alternate any part of it since he had already explained to Max as to what her involvement was.

"Mark was stalking a friend of a friend. She couldn't go about her daily business without him harassing her. The cops did nothing so she came to us. And in our process of checking him out only did we suspect that he was running drugs after witnessing several money transitions between him and known cartel associates. I decided to turn the tables on Mark and make it look like he was ripping off the cartel and they would solve our friend's problems by taking care of Mark." She answered smoothly and exactly how Sam had explained it to Michael.

"Where are the drugs?"

"Hidden."

Michael sighed as he knew exactly where they were, and it wasn't at their house. He had turned them over as soon as Max had the FBI willing to hear Fiona's side of the story.

"Did you remove any of them?"

"Oh please Michael…"

"Fi, answer the question." He spoke in a harsher tone.

She glared at him. "No."

Michael stood and left the room. He approached Max and the agent. "Is that good enough for you?"

The agent didn't look happy as he scowled at Fiona sitting in the room. "I guess it will have to do. Now that we have a tie between them and the drugs I guess we'll approach this Mark character and see what he knows."

The man left and Max spoke up. "Well, I'll see what I can do with the local police about her little stunt in the car." Max moved towards the door. "I'd stay away from her for a while, she looks like she wants to kill you."

Michael watched Fiona though the glass until and officer removed her. He waited for her outside with Sam. She walked briskly down the stairs towards them and quickly slapped Michael across the face. Her hands balled into fists and she attempted to punch him in the torso.

He managed to grab her hands and stop her assault. "Fi, stop!" She attempted several more times but to no avail. "Would you stop! Just stop!"

"I can't believe you! After everything I've done to help you through your burn notice and even tolerated you being gone most of the time again, you get your CIA buddies involved!" Her anger overwhelmed her and she took another swing at him.

"Dammit Fiona! I did all of this to help you, to keep you out of jail!" He practically had to scream at her just so she would see he was serious. "I don't want you getting mixed up in a federal investigation where you could wind up in prison for the rest of your life!"

"If you hadn't been such a complete jerk when you came home I wouldn't have been arrested!"

Michael sighed; there was no arguing with this woman. She was always going to try and one up him no matter the circumstances. "Can we just go home?"

"Fine." She climbed into the back of Sam's car and crossed her arms. Sam and Michael glanced at her afraid she might explode in her current state. "Come on, I'm waiting!"

They both climbed in and Sam took them to their home. He didn't go inside and silently wished his friend good luck before heading off to his own shared residence.

Michael followed Fiona through the back door and into the living room. Not a word was spoken as she turned and punched him square across the jaw. He groaned from the hit and managed to deflect the second one. A regular person would have confused them for a sparing pair of martial artist, but Michael knew Fiona meant business.

After what seemed like forever he got the upper hand and got her on the floor. His legs tangled in hers and he pinned her arms to the floor. "Fiona, that's enough, I get the point."

"Do you? Cause I think it's gonna take me actually killing you to see my point." She struggled against his hold once again before finally stopping.

"Look…" He huffed out of breath from defending her assault. "I'm sorry it had to happen this way, but under the circumstances it did. I had to get help from Max."

"I didn't ask for his help or yours for that matter." She felt his grip on her slack just enough where she could free one hand. Fiona reached up and grabbed a handful of Michael's hair.

He groaned as she used her grip on him as leverage pulling him over onto his side. At the moment Michael knew words were not going to stop her and that he needed to regain the upper hand. Fiona then struggled with her legs and once he was off kilter, she quickly brought her knee up skillfully striking him between the legs. Michael released her fully and curled into a ball at her strategic strike.

Fiona kneeled over him as he took several deep breaths. "You deserved that." She watched him for a moment before shaking her head. "Oh come on, I didn't hit you that hard."

Michael squinted at her hiding the moisture in his eyes. "It doesn't matter how hard you hit, it's how accurate you hit." She grinned. "And yes, you hit the bulls eye." He took several deep breaths and managed to stretch out and look at her. "Look, I know I was wrong earlier, I jumped to conclusions, and I'm sorry. I know you're not a fan of Max, but if it wasn't for him, you'd still be sitting in jail and may not have gotten out." Michael reached up and cupped her face. "Then I would have never been able to do this again." He gently pulled her down to him and kissed her fully. Fiona didn't resist and welcomed his kiss.

* * *

><p>Awwww, they're shagging on the living room floor, how Michael and Fi. So, review if the spirit moves you.<p>

TDCSI


End file.
